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2008-05-25 Home Front: Politix

Mark Steyn: Your car can't run on Congress' hot air

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Posted by Fred 2008-05-25 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 keep yer powder dry folks.

Posted by RD">RD 2008-05-25 07:16|| 2008-05-25 07:16|| Front Page Top

#2 Just a small quibble. The railroads were not destroyed by the automobile, they were destroyed by Woodrow Wilson's nationalization in WWI. The RRs have just about recovered.

On the other hand, the growth of the RRs, especially the transcons, was due in no small part to government land giveaways. Live by the pork, die by the porker.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-05-25 08:17|| 2008-05-25 08:17|| Front Page Top

#3 Government is ceasing to be responsive to the people, and is startign to become destructive or lives, liberty and property.

Last time it happened:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary ..."

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ... it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-05-25 12:33|| 2008-05-25 12:33|| Front Page Top

#4 A few thoughts on what Congress should be doing:

1) Mandate "flex-fuel" vehicles. Adds $100 to the cost of a new car, and allows it to run on gas or E-85.

2) Drop the tariff on Brazilian ethanol

3) Allow drilling in ANWR, both coasts, and the Gulf. Allow coastal states to get a share of the oil revenue.

4) Allow access to western oil shale on government land.

5) Streamline the approval process for utilities for a standard advanced nuclear reactor design.

6) Move forward with nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain.

7) Scrap the proposed tariffs on oil from Canadian tar sands.

My expectations - same as Steyn's - more hot air.

Posted by DMFD 2008-05-25 13:41|| 2008-05-25 13:41|| Front Page Top

#5 But DMFD, that would actually help solve the problem. If they actually 'solved' the problem there wouldn't be any talking points or reason to 'blame-the-other-party'.

Can't have that! (See: "War on Drugs", "War in Poverty", ...)

The Congresscritters need to protect their phony baloney jobs or else they wouldn't be 'needed'.

(Excellent article!!)

Posted by CrazyFool 2008-05-25 13:54|| 2008-05-25 13:54|| Front Page Top

#6 Mark Steyn is amazing.

Congress and government in general can't solve the problem now, theres money to be taxed!

Posted by swksvolFF 2008-05-25 15:06|| 2008-05-25 15:06|| Front Page Top

#7 OldSpook, Sign me up.

Posted by jds 2008-05-25 15:19|| 2008-05-25 15:19|| Front Page Top

#8 Add to the above: build BREEDER reactors - let the national guard secure them if people are worried about proliferation.

Breeders get far more energy extraction, plus they "burn" their won waste instaed of having to put it in storage - and they can "burn" others waste as well, turning it into fuel.

We've been stiupid for too long allowing liberals and emotions to drive the debate. Time to pay the price, and time to beat the liberasl up by placing the blame on thier obstructionisim, and shamanistic behavior regarding science (from communistic attempts to use environmentalism to institute govt control, to religious dogmatic "global warming" that is now being discredited)..

Big stick, time to beat the liberals and cowardly in Congress witih it (including that idiot McCain and his buying into AGW).

Posted by OldSpook 2008-05-25 16:03|| 2008-05-25 16:03|| Front Page Top

#9 I too am frustrated with the idiotic posturing by Congress critters in Washington so they can get pork for their district or re-elected. I view most of them as impediments to progress and a way out of the dilemma they have put us in. Most of them them seem to be a bunch of self-serving hypocrites. Our energy problems could be solved in short time if they would get the hell out of the way.

Posted by JohnQC 2008-05-25 17:24|| 2008-05-25 17:24|| Front Page Top

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